JUST ENOUGH LIGHT

A Memoir on the Transformative Power

of Intentional Grace

by James A. Haas

Just Enough Light is a tribute to the transformative power of belief and human connection through intentional acts of grace. It chronicles the impact of divorce on a child raised by a parent suffering from mental illness. The story traces the author's path to emerge from the despair of drug addiction, violence, anxiety, and depression. Just Enough Light affirms the transformative power of human connection through intentional acts of grace.

No child grows up too quickly. Children who regularly experience trauma are exposed to more than they are capable of processing. As a result, they often present a facade which falsely conveys that they are more secure and mature than they really are. The consequences of such assumptions are potentially harmful to their health, development, and well-being.

Just Enough Light is much more than a story chronicling the impact of divorce on a child raised by a parent suffering from mental illness, incapable of providing the necessary material and emotional support for her children. It is a tribute to the triumphant power of belief and the will to emerge from the despair of drug addiction, violence, anxiety, and depression; and ultimately persevere.

What makes this story so compelling is that it is presented from a unique perspective. As each experience unfolds from childhood through adolescence, it is presented through the mindset of the child's age at the time. Both gut-wrenching and touching, it reaffirms the resilient nature of the human spirit and the truth that change and redemption are always possible. Perhaps the most important message of this story is how it affirms the transformative power of human connection through intentional acts of grace.

About the Author

James Haas is a retired high school teacher who lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Beth, and their dogs, Ace and Coral. He holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in history from Sonoma State University and has lived in Northern California for most of his life. Married to his wife of forty-one years, they reside in the same family home where they raised their three sons. He spends his time exercising, writing, and cooking, as well as creating art pieces in his garage from discarded lumber he salvages from the area.